Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love flavor. Give me a dish with sauce, cheese and all the toppings and I’m happy. That’s why Italian used to be my favorite type of food. But as age (and birthing four children) has made that favorite pair of jeans tighter, my recent obsession is Mexican.

Good Mexican cuisine packs a satisfying flavor punch without tons of fat. Of course you could add gobs of sour cream and cheddar cheese, but there’s a melodic simplicity that intrigues me in the way fresh ingredients are separate but still harmonize when rolled together in a tortilla. And then there’s the practical convenience of providing the basic ingredients with a slew of optional toppings that picky children can, well, pick through and eager eaters can pile on.

Taco night is always a success in our house, and because we just ate our way through two nights of tacos, leftovers called for an alternate recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup.

I used leftover shredded chicken, but ground beef or shredded pork would work just as well. I also had some Savoy cabbage remaining from my slaw taco topper, so into the soup it went. Almost any vegetable goes into this soup, so if you have leftover peppers, mushrooms or even zucchini, dice them up and throw them in when you sauté the carrots and onions.

Broth-based soups always taste better the day after, so if you put the basics together the night before, just stir in the lime and cilantro the next day.
We like a little fire in our soup, so I add a few shakes of Tabasco.

About Lee

In addition to being a food blogger, freelance writer and copy editor, Lee is a wife, mother of four, sister to four brothers and friend to many. On any given day you will find her either at the grocery store, planning to go to the grocery store or wishing she had. By writing about her food adventures at Foodie Plus 4, Lee hopes to connect with others who are loving life with lots of flavor.